Funeral services held for first African-American woman to serve in Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 12/05/2018 05:55 PM EST

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U.S. Coast Guard 1st District PA Detachment New York
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Funeral services held for first African-American woman to serve in U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard members participate in funeral services for Dr. Olivia Hooker in White Plains, New York, Dec. 5, 2018. Dr. Hooker passed away on Nov. 21, 2018, at the age of 103. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Strohmaier) Rear Adm. Andrew Tiongson, commander First Coast Guard District, salutes Petty Officer 1st Class Tija Hopkins as she hands over a folded American flag during funeral services for Dr. Olivia Hooker in White Plains, New York, Dec. 5, 2018. Dr. Hooker was the first African-American woman to enlist in the Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Strohmaier) Rear Adm. Andrew Tiongson, commander First Coast Guard District, passes a folded American flag to a family member during funeral services for Dr. Olivia Hooker in White Plains, New York, Dec. 5, 2018. Dr. Hooker was the first African-American woman to enlist in the Coast Guard. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Strohmaier) U.S. Coast Guard members past and present from around the country stand around a photograph of Dr. Olivia Hooker during her funeral service held in White Plains, New York, Dec. 5 2018. Dr. Hooker was the first African-American woman to enlist in the Coast Guard and she passed away on Nov. 21, 2018, at the age of 103. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve Strohmaier)

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NEW YORK — Funeral services were held for the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S Coast Guard Wednesday, at White Plains Rural Cemetery, White Plains, N.Y.

Dr. Olivia Juliette Hooker was born on Feb. 12, 1915, in Muskogee, Okla. and passed away on Nov. 21, in White Plains, N.Y., at the age of 103.

Dr. Hooker enlisted in the Coast Guard Woman’s Reserve, also known as “Semper Paratus, Always Ready” (SPARs), in February 1945. Upon graduation from basic training, she specialized in the yeoman rating, spending her time stationed at the separation center in Boston. She ultimately rose to the rank of yeoman second class prior to her discharge in June 1946. Dr. Hooker later joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary in 2010, volunteering in Flotilla 06-08 in Yonkers, N.Y.

After completing her military service, Dr. Hooker went on to earn a master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Rochester. In the early 1960s, Dr. Hooker began a career as a psychologist and a professor of psychology at New York’s Fordham University. In 2002, she retired at the age of 87 after a distinguished career in education and mental health care.

Throughout her life, Dr. Hooker was an advocate for Americans with developmental and intellectual disabilities, as well as a leader in various civic, community, cultural, and educational organizations, including the NAACP.

A dining facility named in honor of Dr. Hooker at Coast Guard Sector New York stands as a lasting reminder of her remarkable legacy of service and pioneering contributions in the history of both the Coast Guard and the nation.

-USCG-